Resilient wheel



@et z i923.

M. OCONNOR RESILIENT WHEEL Filed March 2e, 192s 2 sheets-smet 1 m W W W MAUR/CE O'C'NNOR. BY

ATTORNEYS.

oct; 2, 1923. 1,469,393

u M. o'coNNoR RESILIENT WHEEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26. 1923 j 34-// /IV VEN TOR.

MA uma: o'c'oNNoR. BY ,l @u

A TTORNEYS.

vLie

VPatented Oct 2, 1923.

rasee nnsinisivr vviiiiznri'v Application led lilarclr26,1923.V Serial No. 627,642.

T 0 all whom t may concern.' Y Be it known that I, MAURICE. QCoNNon,

a citizen of the United States, residing atV Alameda,.county of Alameda, and State of California, have* invented'new and useful improvements in Resilient lVheelmof which the following is a specification. This invention .relates to vresilient wheels ofthe flexible rim type. y 'l lt is the object of the present invention to provide-'a generally improved vehiclewheel of the type referred to rwhich is designed to resist lateral and circumferential thrust and to locally absorb road'shocks withoutiinparting them to the vehicle-supported by the wheel. v i 'i 1 y In carrying out this object, l Vprovide'a wheel fitted with a riml composed of a4 plu.- i'ality ofV sections which are flexibly connected in a manner permitting independent deflection of the sections to obtain'maximum resiliency but resisting lateral and circumferential 'thrust so'as to maintain the sections in lateral alignment and prevent distortion of the wheel. y One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in'y which Fig. 1 isa side elevation of a vehicle wheel embodying the preferredr form of iny'inv'eniOIl'. Y' 1 Fig, 2 is a transverse section through the rim thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1:;

Fig. 3 is asimilar view taken on line of Fig. 1. Y 1 Figs. 4l and 5 are perspective views of the locking plates employed.' f 'f F ig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in side elevation and section disclos- 'ing the details of construction. 'f

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view ofthe inner surface of the rim with zthe spokes inY section.

Fig.' 8 is a fragmentary view ink perspec--V tive showing the construct-ion of the rim end of the spokes.

Referring more particularly to the ac,- companying drawings, 10 indicates a ve'- hicle wheel having a rim 11., spokes 12 anda hub 14. The rim 11 is constructedof a plurality of radial rim sections 15 each of which is mounted at the end of one of the spokes 12.

The rim sections 15 are videntical in const-ruetion and each comprise va housing 16 having side walls 17', end walls 18 and a riin portion 19. i Intermediate thesidewa'lls V1'?` and' en# i tending parallel thereto A,are partitions2() which extend between. the' end w'alls-l8, These partitions divide theinterior offtho housing 16 into "two narrow side compartments 21and Va central'compartment 22.

' The rim portion 19.: and the sidewalls 1,7 ofi keach section loverlap the `endfwalls 18v at 'each end so that when the wheel is asseml bled pockets v 23 are formed between the con-V tiguous ends'ofthe rim sections'to accommo date lpairs of compression and tension' springs 24. Y Two of these-springs are disposed side by sideA in each pocket23. Thesey springs are preferably wound in a square'-4 coil to provide .av maximum bearing surface them and the side walls'l to aid iny resisting `lateral thrust on v.the rini. f The Aends 24a of the springs extend through apertures 25A in the end walls 18 and aiebent'as at 26 across the innersurfaces of said walls soV that cerf.

' between their contiguous sides and/between tain relative movement of the rim sections will be vresisted bv the tension ofthe springsj The end walls 'of feach'frinil section con- Y verge toward the lcenter of the wheel so that the pockets23 will beoutwar'dly tapered as shown in nFig.- 6. Therefore, whentheA springs arer positioned in the pockets y23 theV outer 'portions of the' coils will Contact, `as shown -clearlyin Fig. "6.

To aid the springs in resisting lateralor y sidethrust on the riin and `rto maintain the rim sections Vin Aperfect lateral alignment, flocking plates 2T are provided. These .members. extend between the contiguous endsof the rim sections andare slotted as. at 28 to embrace the end walls '18 thereof. VThe `plates 27 are located ateach side ofthe rim sidesvof the head 30 slidably engage'the in- Jnerfsurfaces ot 'the partitions 20- and the lugs'l engage elongated slots 32 in these' Y partitions. The lower portion of one ot the partitions isV formed with a removable sec- Tlie lugs lmentioned pereating and'rocling mov'einentat the end 4otY the spokes but Vservelto maintain theY sections viiirorre'dt circumferential positions and to'resistA circumferential thrust on the rim.l The spokes are tubular and each'atcoininodate pair otV concentrically; posil tioned compression springs' Silwhich are posi-"I i causes the -wheelto resist circumferential tion'ed in theV spokes and' interposed betweenfthefiiiner :ends thereof and tlie rim Y Vwith arectangular rframe 36 which is offset the rim section relative to thespolre in a portions otL tlierrirn sections. These springs resistinwardY deflection ofthe rim sections and` serve toVV absorb road shocks without imparting themt-o the hub-ot therwheel.

The innerivall of each rim' section is formed by a cover plate which is suitablv. bolted tothe inner edges ot' tliesidef Walls ot the housing.l This pla-te is fitted at its inner edges to'provide guideways 36u to receive a -tlange 37 ot a guide 'sleeve 38. kl'lhe spoke of the rim section is reciprocably mounted in this sleeve. The .ends of the fla-nge 37 terminatel short .of guideways 36a' to allow a limited amount. et movement; ot

circumferential direction only. Y One end ot tliecover plate 3,5 ot each sec'- tion is offset as Vat '38a to overlap ythe end ofthe cover lplateV ot the adjacent rim section. The offset portion 38a ot each cover vplate Vis flexible' to allow rmovement between thesections; They also serveto prevent the entrance of sand Yand Orit into the pockets 28.

by flat .flexible members o9 which are disposed beneath vthe overhanging ends oi' the rim" portionsroi the rim sections. Each of these members'is secured at one end to one vot the lcontiguous ends of the rim sections as Yshown in Fig. 6.

the hub proper.

Hub plates 42 are 'positioned one on each vside of theviniiei' endsv ot vthe spokes and are heldin place by bolts 43. To reinforce the spokes7 iiller blocks '44 are placed between thespokes and betweenthe hub plates and boltedto the latter by bolts 45e.

The.v rim portions of the rim sections Vare Vdesigned to freceive tire seetionsO which are ypreferably formed otresilient material.y

The Vbuter A.ends ot the pocketsVV 23`are protected from the ventrance oi dirt rThe inner endsot these members are slotted to engage T-shaped lugs 45 secured around the 'circumference otY ln operation7 the wheel-is constructed as i described and may be assembled on a. vehicle. Shocks. due to inequalities inthe road will be absorbed by the springs 24C Vand 34. The springs 24 allow limited relative move-V ment between the rim sections to permity each l section to aosorb sliocls'without imparting them to the entire rim and hub. The springs ofthe wheel will absorba-ll minor road` shocks and substantially` all `Ymajorf- Ones without imparting themv tothe hub. Y i y The peculiar mounting ot tliesp'rings ,24

thrust. That is to say, by forming the springs so Athat the outer portions of the coils Contact, the wheel is substantially rigid ciicumt'erentially at the outeredge ofzthe riin sections. 'l`his, however, does' not deL tract from the lieii'bility ot the rim as each section is permitted to 'deliect independently to absorb shocks. i v The. lateral Aor side thrust on the wheel is resisted b j the locking plates '27 vand Vthe springs 24 `which maintain the rim sections in lateral alignment. 1 From the foregoing'it is obvious that. a

' very desirable vehicle wheel has been provid-V ed which is capable of maximum resiliency and designed to resist lateral andjcircumn ferential thrust tendingto distort the wheell. While I have shown tliepreterred forni ot my invention, it is understoodthat various changes in itsconstruction maybe made without departing 'from thespiiit of the-invention.

' laving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters PatentY is i l. A resilient wheel comprising a hub, a plurality ot rigid spokes extending from the hub,y a rim comprising a plurality of ,itlexieY bly connected sections mounted one at' the said sections permitting independent deflection thereof but rieidl maintainin them i in'la-teral valignment and resisting lateral thrust oiithe rim. Y V

A 2. VA resilientwheel comprising afhuby s plurality 'ot rigid spokes extending from the hub, a iiin comprising a plurality oii flexibly connected 'sections mounted one at kthe end of each spoke, radialV springs interposed ble- .llO

Avend of each spokea and connections between Y plurality of flexibly connected rim sections vmounted one at the end of each spoke,

springs in the spokes upon which the rim sections bear to cushion inward deflection thereof, and independent locking plates between the contiguous ends oit' the riun sections7 said lock plates being adapted to permity independent deflection o'l said rim sections but rigidly maintain the sect-ions in lateral alignment and resisting thrust on the rim.

LA resilient wheel comprising a hub, a

yplurality of rigid hollow spokes connected to the huband extending radially therefrom, av flexible rim at the outer ends ofthe spokes, said rim comprising a plurality of' rim sections, compressionA and tension springs interposed between the" contiguous ends of said sections to flexibly connect the same, a connection between each section and a spoke permitting independent deflection of the rim sections, and locking. plates at the sides of thev rim to connectthe r1m sec-v tions and to res1st lateral'thrust on the rim lateral posed between the contiguous ends of said Y sections to flexibly connect the saine, a con# nectlon between each section and a. spoke sect-ions, and locking plates at the sides of the rimV to connect the rim sections and to resist lateral thrust on the rim and to main-Y tain said sections vrigidly inv lateral alignment, the outer portlo-ns of the coils of said springs `being in contact withthemselves and with the ends olf-the rim to make the portion of the rim at the outer circumference thereof rigid circumferentially to resist circumferential thrust.l

f35 rpermittingV independent deflection. of the rim MAURICE oooNNoR. y Y, 

